Layered microporous polymers by solvent knitting method.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Two-dimensional (2D) organic nanomaterials offer diverse structures but face limitations in preparation and stability.
• Top-down approaches are cost-effective and scalable for producing 2D organic nanomaterials.
• Existing methods for layered organic materials have drawbacks affecting their development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, efficient, and low-cost strategy for synthesizing previously unknown 2D organic nanomaterials.
• To overcome limitations associated with traditional layered organic materials.
• To explore the potential of these new materials in gas storage applications.

Main Methods:

• Improved Friedel-Crafts reaction using dichloroalkane as solvent, reagent, and cross-linker at low temperatures.
• Ultrasonic-assisted solvent exfoliation of layered solvent knitting hyper-cross-linked polymers (SHCPs) to produce 2D SHCP nanosheets.
• Tuning pore structure and surface area by adjusting solvent chain length, AlCl3 molar ratio, and monomer size.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of previously unreported layered SHCPs and their corresponding 2D nanosheets.
• Achieved an unprecedented surface area of 3002 m² g⁻¹ in a hyper-cross-linked polymer (HCP) material.
• Demonstrated significant gas storage capacity: 4.82 mmol g⁻¹ CO2 at 273 K and 1.00 bar, and 12.40 mmol g⁻¹ H2 at 77.3 K and 1.13 bar.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides an efficient and economical route to novel 2D organic nanomaterials.
• This approach overcomes limitations of previous knitting methods, enabling new layered HCP material designs.
• The high surface area and gas storage capacity highlight the potential of these materials for practical applications.